It doesn’t matter if you want to get faster, stronger, bigger, smaller or if you just want to be able to get up and down from a chair comfortably, everyone should include 4 types of exercise in their training at all times.
THE 4 EXERCISES ARE;
- An upper body push
- An upper body pull
- A hip hinge
- And a lower body push
People tend to get too bogged down in the specifics of training but if you can master just a few variations of each, over all rep ranges, it will make you better, no matter what the goal is.
This is not an exhaustive list, nor are any of the below to all be done in one workout, but it is important that at least one exercise in your program is performed through a full range of motion with correct technique.
UPPER BODY PUSH EXAMPLES
- Barbell or Dumbbell Bench Press
- Barbell or Dumbbell Military Press
- Barbell or Dumbbell Incline press
- Push ups
- Dips
UPPER BODY PULL EXAMPLES
- Pull up – overhand, neutral, underhand
- Lat pull down – overhand, neutral, underhand
- Barbell Row
- Dumbbell row
- TRX/ Ring Row
HIP HINGE EXAMPLES
- Barbell Deadlift
- Barbell Romanian Deadlift
- Dumbbell Deadlift
- Kettlebell Swing
- Glute Bridges
LOWER BODY PUSH EXAMPLES
- Barbell Back Squat
- Barbell Front Squat
- Dumbbell Goblet Squat
- Bodyweight Squat
- Lunge
- Split Squat
All of these exercises have many more variations than listed above, for example the bodyweight squat alone has at least 38 variations, but all of these exercises are scalable to meet all abilities.
For more information on how to perform these exercises and how they should fit into your program, contact any of our fitness instructors in house and arrange an assessment.